


Twisted Sun

by owlways_and_forever



Series: When Eagles Fall Silent [25]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Muggle, Beach Holidays, Beaches, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Girls weekend, Humor, Sharks, Shell Cottage (Harry Potter), shark attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:54:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29276517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owlways_and_forever/pseuds/owlways_and_forever
Summary: A girls' weekend at the beach takes a frightening twist.
Relationships: Anthony Goldstein/Padma Patil, Lavender Brown/Parvati Patil
Series: When Eagles Fall Silent [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2029726





	Twisted Sun

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is maybe the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever written. And I say that with a lot of affection for it haha.

They rented the little beach house - adorably named Shell Cottage - from a young couple who had decided to spend the summer in France. A girls’ beach week seemed like the perfect way to celebrate Padma and Parvati’s birthday, the last of them to turn 25, and have a carefree week before they were all in their “late twenties” - a true horror.

The house was quaint. A bit small, for the six girls, so they had to squeeze two to a bedroom, but none of them really minded that. Lavender and Parvati, as the only couple there, took the master bedroom, Padma shared with Daphne, and Romilda bunked with Pansy. All in all, it was a pretty cozy arrangement for the group of friends.

On the second day of their trip - and the first full day, having spent the day before driving all across England - the girls got up and immediately headed down to the beach. It was a short walk from the house, so they didn’t worry about bringing lunch with them, deciding they would go back when they were hungry. It was a beautifully sunny day, perfect for sunbathing and swimming.

The girls all lay down their towels in the sand and kicked off their shoes, the other four racing off to the water while Parvati and Lavender sprawled out on their towels. Not a morning person, Lavender cozied up to her girlfriend, joining their hands and nuzzling her nose into Parvati’s shoulder.

“You smell nice,” Lavender mumbled happily as Parvati’s deep, onyx hair tickled her cheek. “Happy birthday, ‘Vati.”

“Thank you, my love,” Parvati grinned in reply, tilting her head to kiss Lavender’s temple. “And thank you for putting this whole trip together. I know it’s not exactly your idea of a birthday celebration, but it suits Padma much more than partying.”

“As long as you’re happy,” she answered, blinking her blue eyes sincerely. “I know how much it means to you to celebrate your birthday with your sister. And besides, we went out clubbing for my birthday. Today is about you and Padma.”

Parvati hummed happily and nestled in further, both girls dozing off lightly. It wasn’t until the other girls returned from the water that the two woke up. They sat in a little circle for a while, catching up on each other’s news and talking about what was going on in the world.

“Padma, you’ve been awfully quiet,” Romilda said, suddenly turning her eyes toward Parvati’s twin. “How are things with Anthony?”

“Everything is fine,” Padma answered warily. She wasn’t particularly comfortable sharing the details of her relationship with anyone, except maybe her sister.

“But how is _he?_ ” Romilda pressed, raising her eyebrows to try and make Padma understand the meaning beneath her words. “Satisfactory? I’ve always been so… curious about him.”

“It’s always the quiet boys who have more to be proud of than the jocks, isn’t it?” Lavender commented, waggling her eyebrows as she giggled. “I heard from Lisa Turpin that Anthony ought to be _very_ proud.”

Parvati flashed her girlfriend a look of profound irritation, clearly begging her to shut up. Padma’s cheeks flushed a deep umber as she understood the girls’ meaning. She looked to her sister for help, anything to change the topic of conversation as quickly as possible.

“I think I’d like to go for a dip in the water,” Parvati said, smoothly dividing the group. “Anyone want to come with me?”

Padma nodded immediately, getting to her feet, and Lavender followed suit after another commanding look from Parvati. The three girls dashed through the sand to the cool water, splashing in. Parvati immediately dunked beneath the water, feeling its cool caress on her cheeks, and she didn’t realize how flaming hot her skin had been in the sun. 

“Thank you,” Padma said as her sister surfaced again, her inky black hair slicked backward by the water.

“Anytime,” Parvati answered, giving her sister a quick hug. “You’re my twin and my best friend, I’m always on your side. And I’m sure Lavender didn’t hear Lisa Turpin saying anything of the sort. You know how she can be with gossip.”

“Oh no, she definitely did,” Padma shrugged. “She told just about anyone who would listen in 6th form, she was just so pleased with herself for having gotten to third base. She wasn’t wrong about him though.”

Parvati gaped at her sister, whose cheeks were once more bright red. It was a startling confession, the likes of which she had never heard from her sister before.

“But I thought you weren’t…?” Parvati asked, intensely curious even though she was normally so careful not to pry into Padma’s romantic life.

“We’re not, not exactly, but we…” she seemed entirely unable to form the words and share details of her relationship. “I know enough, let’s leave it at that, okay?”

“Of course,” Parvati agreed, casting a sly smile toward her sister.

“I think I might go back to the beach now,” Padma said, looking over her shoulder to the shore and toying with the key shaped necklace she wore.

Romilda and Pansy had gone back to Shell Cottage for lunch, leaving Daphne sitting alone in the sand. She had pulled out a book and seemed perfectly content, but Padma wanted to go and keep her friend company all the same. Parvati nodded as her sister waded through the water until she made it back to the beach and watched as she flopped down on her towel next to Daphne.

Lavender had stayed in shallower water, the sea lapping around her tanned thighs. Her periwinkle lace bathing suit looked so beautiful on her, with her dirty blonde braid cascading over her shoulder. Parvati couldn’t help but smile at the sight, her heartbeat stuttering and uneven because of her. Her own ivory bathing suit was far less decorative and elaborate, but she knew that it was Lavender’s favourite. She always said that the way it contrasted against Parvati’s dark skin was divinely sexy. The thought made Parvati smile.

“What are you grinning about?” Lavender asked, wading further into the sea so she could wrap her arms around Parvati’s shoulders. 

“I just keep thinking that I have the most wonderful girlfriend,” Parvati gushed. “And that periwinkle is most definitely her color.”

Lavender hummed happily, placing her hands on Parvati’s cheeks and then moving them backwards so her thumbs grazed along her cheekbones and her fingertips could tangle in long ebony locks. Parvati’s hands grabbed onto Lavender’s waist, tugging her closer and crashing their lips together, hips flush as a heat built between them that had nothing to do with the sun overhead.

“Wanna get out of the sun for a little bit?” Parvati asked, giving her girlfriend a positively salacious look.

“You go,” Lavender replied. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“Okay,” Parvati replied, kissing her cheek and swimming back toward the shore. 

She walked through the shallows, shaking the water out of her long hair. She made her way to where Padma and Daphne were splayed out in the sand, each one holding a book up to block the sun while they read. They were trading idle remarks as they did so, just light banter about the books they were reading and the day and the beach.

“Hey,” Parvati said, interrupting their little chit chat. “I’m going to go get lunch if you two want to come.”

“Sure,” Daphne shrugged, folding down the corner of her page and closing the book. 

Padma stood as well, brushing sand from her warm skin. The three girls made their way back to the house to join Pansy and Romilda, leaving Lavender to enjoy the sea just a little bit longer. They climbed up the hill, through the tall grass that nearly hid the beach from view. Just as they were emerging on the other side, a scream pierced the air, shattering Parvati’s heart into pieces.

“Lavender!” she breathed, immediately turning on her heels and vaulting down the hill back toward the beach. 

When her toes touched the hot, coarse sand, she could see Lavender fighting against the waves to get away from the ocean. She seemed to be hyperventilating, fear and panic gripping her.

“Lavender! What happened, what’s wrong?” Parvati asked, reaching out and grabbing her girlfriend by the forearms, tugging her closer and supporting her at the same time.

“I was - and it - I almost - could have - the teeth!” Lavender stammered, her fear blinding her and making her unable to finish a thought.

“You need to slow down,” Parvati said, running her hands soothingly up and down her girlfriend’s arms. “Take a breath and tell me what happened.”

“There was a shark!” Lavender shrieked, practically sobbing. 

“That’s preposterous,” Padma answered from behind her sister, and Parvati turned to flash her a glare. 

“Are you sure it was a shark?” Parvati asked more delicately.

“Of course I’m sure!” Lavender burst, tears building in her eyes. “It bumped me - sharks do that you know! And then I looked down and I could see it swimming away. It was going to come back, I just know it, and it was going to eat me!”

“You can’t possibly know that,” Padma scoffed, earning her another glare.

“Lav, maybe it just realized you’re not food,” Parvati said, trying to offer some reassurance.

“I thought you said this was a good idea!” Lavender cried. “A vacation - fun and sun and relaxation! But of course not, of course we’ll all get eaten by sharks instead!”

Parvati tried to suppress a giggle, reminding herself that as amusing as it sounded, Lavender’s distress was all too real.

“We can still enjoy our vacation,” she said, reaching up to tuck a strand of Lavender’s hair behind her ear. “It was pretty unlikely that we’d see one shark this week, so I think the odds of seeing another must be very low.”

“I...suppose that makes sense,” Lavender acquiesced. 

“We can’t let this ruin our trip, right?” Parvati prompted again.

Lavender straightened her shoulders and stood up taller, a defiant expression crossing her face. No, she had planned such a lovely week with her friends, and she wouldn’t let a stupid shark ruin that. 

“No, we’re going to have a damn good time,” she said, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous twinkle.


End file.
